Methane concentration in the glacial atmosphere was only half that of the preindustrial Holocene

• Published in: Nature
• Main Authors: Stauffer, B., Lochbronner, E., Oeschger, H., Schwander, J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Macmillan Journals Ltd. 1988
• Subjects: 530 Physics; Greenland; Byrd; Byrd Station; Antarc*; Antarctica; Dye 3; Dye-3; ice core
• Online Access: https://boris.unibe.ch/158247/1/stauffer88nat.pdf; https://boris.unibe.ch/158247/

Air entrapped in bubbles of cold ice has essentially the same composition as that of the atmosphere at the time of bubble formation. Measurements on ice core samples from Byrd Station (Antarctica) and Dye 3 (Greenland) show that the atmospheric methane concentration was only about 350 parts per 109 by volume (p.p.b.v.) during the last glaciation, compared with a mean preindustrial level of about 650 p.p.b.v. and a present value of 1,650 p.p.b.v.